Jennifer Hudson to Play Mandela’s Wife

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Biopics, Drama, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

Jennifer Hudson has signed on to star in Winnie, a biopic about Nelson Mandela’s former wife.

The film will follow her whole life, and Hudson will be singing the movie’s theme song as well.

“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” the Academy Award winner recently said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”

Production begins May 30. With Hudson in the lead, the flick already sounds like Oscar material.

Read More | Vote for the Worst

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Sequel News: Men in Black, Saw and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Disney, Lionsgate, Action, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases, Videos

Here’s the latest scoop on the sequel buzz spreading across Hollywood:

Independence Day: If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Roland Emmerich flat out hates this planet. The director of The Day After Tomorrow and and 2012 is now talking about a follow-up to his 1996 hit, Independence Day. Emmerich says his proposed idea would see vets Will Smith (another lover of sequels) and Bill Pullman years after the first disaster. “One day we will do it,” Roland claimed.

Click to continue reading Sequel News: Men in Black, Saw and More

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Johnny Depp to Get $35 Million for Pirates 4

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Disney, Action, Adventure, Family, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

While studio execs at Disney may forge ahead without Johnny Depp for the fifth and sixth Pirates of the Caribbean films, they’ll definitely be paying a hefty amount to have him in the latest sequel of the franchise.

Reportedly commanding a minimum of $35 million, Depp would shoot to the top of the highest-paid actors list, placing him above the likes of Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Mel Gibson, who ask for around $30 million (Depp received $25 million for the last Pirates sequel).

Yes, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have dominated at the box office; however, higher-ups usually aren’t known to shell out $35 million paychecks, so what gives?

Click to continue reading Johnny Depp to Get $35 Million for Pirates 4

Read More | Telegraph

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Michael Sheen Apologizes For His Hair

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Adaptation, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

Michael Sheen apologized to his daughter for not being bald.

The actor’s 10-year-old daughter Lily, whose mother is actress Kate Beckinsale, was delighted when he landed the role of Aro in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, but the Frost/Nixon star was worried that his depiction wouldn’t match up with fans’ ideas of the role.

“I said, ‘What does he look like?’ She said, ‘He’s bald.’ I think she was mixing it up with Nosferatu, the old vampire, you know? But it shows that people, and this is the beauty of books for a start, that your imagination creates your own version of these characters. And so when a film comes along and you’re kind of going, ‘No, it looks like this,’ then that’s a very delicate thing to get right or to find a way to meet everyone’s imaginary requirements of the character. So I was very aware of that because of my own daughter. I said, ‘Sorry, I’m not bald. I’ve got long hair.’”

When working on his interpretation of Aro, Michael immersed himself in Stephenie Meyer‘s novels which the movies are based on.

“I would have loved to have talked to Stephenie loads about it, but I just kept rereading a few of the chapters in the book - especially the opening chapter where she describes Aro - just looking for anything that would help give me a clue. And then I was just left to my own devices.”

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Tom Cruise on a Mission to Cast Katie Holmes

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Paramount, Action, Sequels, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Tom Cruise wants Katie Holmes to play a villain in the next Mission: Impossible movie.

The actor - who stars as spy Ethan Hunt in the action franchise - is desperate to work with his wife and believes an evil part for her in the fourth film would be perfect because he doesn’t want them to play a couple on screen.

“Tom is very excited about taking Mission: Impossible in a new direction and he sees Katie as a big part of that,” a source said. “They have wanted to work together for a while now but the idea of being a couple on screen in a romantic comedy is a bit dull. This might give them a chance to have some fun both as a couple and as hero and villainess.”

Katie - who has a three-year-old daughter, Suri, with Tom - recently admitted she loves bringing her home life into her acting roles. “In my own life, my whole world really revolves around my family. I do what I need to do, but it’s like, ‘How is everybody else doing?’ And it’s wonderful for me as an actress to put some of that into a character,” Holmes said.

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First Look: 30 Days of Night Sequel

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Adaptation, Horror, Independent, Sequels, Thrillers, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

The first image from the 30 Days of Night sequel, Dark Days, is out and fails to make an impression on me.

Kiele Sanchez replaces Melissa George as our heroine, Stella Oleson, wielding a particularly large knife. While the movie may be a direct adaptation of its graphic novel origin, this photograph recalls the typical Friday the 13th cinematography.

A fan of the novel, I’m hoping that more images say otherwise. I’m still not buying Sanchez’s portrayal, either.

Read More | Ain't It Cool

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Casting Corner: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Sony, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Independent, Period, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Jake Gyllenhaal: The Jarhead star may be prepping to play another military man in Source Code, a sci-fi thriller. The movie, which will be directed by Duncan Jones (Moon), centers on a soldier who wakes up as a commuter on a train. The passenger is forced to relive the experience again and again until the mystery behind a bombing is determined. Shooting should start in early 2010.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow and More

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Getting Into Character: Shia LaBeouf’s Suited Up for Wall Street

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Drama, Sequels, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases

When he’s not searching for crystal skulls, running from large robots or flipping his own vehicle, Shia LaBeouf can clean up quite nicely.

In Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, Shia’s character (Jacob Moore) is a Wall Street trader engaged to Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan), the estranged daughter of Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Jacob finds himself helping the recently-jailed Gekko repair his family situation in exchange for help with a hedge fund manager (Josh Brolin).

The film - also starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon - opens April 23.

Read More | Bauer-Griffin

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Casting Corner: Anthony Hopkins, January Jones and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Anthony Hopkins: The Wolfman actor will soon play dad to another large character: Thor. Hopkins has been cast as Odin, father of the title character (Chris Hemsworth) who is sent down to Earth after reigniting an ancient war. The film - which also includes Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston - will open May 20, 2011.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Anthony Hopkins, January Jones and More

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Bill Nighy’s Vocal Appeal

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Animation, Family, Casting, Celebrity Gossip

Bill Nighy‘s director criticized him for using funny voices.

The actor voices Dr. Elefun in animated movie Astro Boy and admits he was reprimanded for experimenting with different vocal sounds when looking for an identity for the character.

“You just go with your own instincts. In this case, I came in with a lot of funny voices, and I did them for a while. And then Dave Bowers, the director, after a suitable time had passed, said, ‘Please, could you stop doing that now?’ I said, ‘Oh, all right.’ He said, ‘Your voice is what we wanted,’” he said. “I’m not being naïve or coy or modest, or anything. But I always forget, and - you know, you never think of your voice like that. You just think, ‘Oh, well, it’s my voice.’ I don’t think about my voice until somebody mentions it. But I’m please if people do like it.”

Meanwhile, Bill is hoping to reprise his role of Davy Jones in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

“I hope so. I really do. I mean, I met Geoffrey Rush the other day, and he and I were both saying - we had a wonderful time, not least, with him, because he’s such a nice man, and such a good actor. We’d love to be in it,” he told Dark Horizons. “I’d love to be in it. I’d love to be in Pirates, because it was a great experience to be in the first lot. And - you know, those movies are beloved. It’s nice to make people happy.”

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